Many budget and mid-budget smartphone owners experience a slowdown when multiple apps are open at the same time, a natural desire to expand the device’s capabilities by adding additional resources, but the physical increase in RAM in modern monolithic cases is impossible without the most complex hardware intervention.
Fortunately, Xiaomi engineers have developed software optimization mechanisms that allow some of the internal flash memory to be used as an additional buffer for running processes, which is not a complete replacement for a physical chip, but significantly helps the system cope with multitasking.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the regular features of the MIUI shell and HyperOS, and also look at more complex methods that require root rights.
What is virtual memory in Xiaomi smartphones
The technology, known as Memory Extension, works by creating a special paging file that the system uses when physical RAM is busy, allowing more applications to be kept in the background, preventing them from constantly rebooting when switching.
It is important to understand that the read and write speed of internal UFS or eMMC memory is significantly lower than that of LPDDR chips. Therefore, performance gains in heavy gaming will be minimal, and in some scenarios, even microfreeze when accessing data in a swap.
⚠️ Warning: Permanently writing temporary files to flash memory increases wear and tear on the drive. On older or cheaper smartphone models, this can shorten the life of the device.
The system’s algorithm dynamically allocates tasks, sending lower-priority processes to a reserved area, especially for the Redmi Note and POCO M series, where physical RAM is often limited to 4 or 6 gigabytes.
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Virtual memory does not increase processor performance, but it improves multitasking by allowing more applications to be opened at the same time.
Check for memory expansion function
Before you start settings, make sure your model supports this option at the software level, which is usually available on devices released after 2021 with a MIUI 12.5 shell and later.
To check, go to the main system settings. Find the About Phone section that shows the current hardware configuration. If the function is active and available for management, you will see the corresponding row with the volume.
- 📱 Open the settings in the main menu.
- 🔍 Select About Phone at the top of the list.
- 💾 Find Memory Extension or Memory Extension.
- 📊 Click on it to see the available volume to add.
If the item is missing, it could mean that the manufacturer has blocked the feature for your specific modification or regional firmware.In some cases, the option is hidden and requires activation through special codes or third-party utilities.
Why is there a function on one Redmi and not on the other?
Activation of the RAM extension through settings
If your smartphone supports the technology, the activation process will take no more than a minute, and the system will automatically reserve the selected amount of internal memory and redistribute the file system.
In the menu that opens, you will be asked to choose one of the available volume options, usually fixed values, such as +2 GB, +3 GB or +4 GB, depending on the free space on the disk.
☑️ Activation of memory expansion
Once the value is selected, the system will warn you to reboot, which is a mandatory step, since the Android kernel must rewire the disk partitions and initialize the new paging file.
Note that once activated, the user’s available space for photos and files will decrease by exactly as much as you allocated for RAM, which is a critical point for devices with a 64 or 128 GB drive.
| Model of the device | Physical RAM | Max. Expansion. | Recommended treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redmi Note 10 | 4GB | +2GB | Minimum |
| POCO X3 Pro | 6GB | +3GB | Medium. |
| Redmi Note 12 | 6GB | +4GB | Maximum |
| Xiaomi 13 | 8GB | +5GB | If necessary, |
Should you set the maximum value? For models with 4 GB of physical memory, adding even 2 GB of virtual memory will have a tangible effect. However, for flagships with 12 GB of RAM, this may be redundant and will only take place.
Using applications to create a Swap file
Owners of devices where the standard function is absent or blocked often turn to third-party software. Applications like SWAP No Root or GLTools allow you to emulate memory expansion by software.
These utilities create a file size on the disk and try to convince the system to use it as a buffer zone, and the effectiveness of these methods depends heavily on the access rights and version of Android.
- 📥 Download a proven app from Google Play or a trusted source.
- ⚙️ Give the program the necessary permissions to access the file system.
- 💾 Specify the size of the paging file you create (usually up to 4 GB).
- 🔄 Press the activation button and wait for the process to complete.
Without root rights, these apps are severely limited, and may not run smoothly or at all on modern versions of Android due to enhanced security measures.
A more advanced method involves the use of ADB-commands to force the activation of hidden functions, if they are in the firmware, but disabled by the manufacturer. This requires a connection to the PC and basic knowledge of working with the command line.
Advanced methods: Root rights and system editing
For users who are ready to experiment, obtaining superuser rights opens up access to deep kernel settings. Magisk installs real swap partitions, which works more efficiently than file emulation.
However, this path is fraught with risks: Incorrect configuration of swap parameters can lead to a cyclical reboot or complete system failure.
⚠️ Note: Getting root rights automatically voids the device warranty and may disrupt banking apps and Google Pay.
There are special modules for Magisk, such as KSU-Swap or Swap On Boot, that automate the process of creating a swap partition when you boot, and they allow you to flexibly adjust the priority and buffer size.
You can also edit system configuration files, like build.prop, to change the memory manager's behavior, but any syntax errors will lead to a bootloop.
The impact of memory expansion on speed
Many users mistakenly believe that adding virtual memory will make games smoother.In fact, FPS in heavy projects depends on GPU power and physical RAM speed, not swap volume.
The main gain is noticeable in multitasking scenarios: the browser does not unload tabs, messengers do not restart, and the navigator continues to lead the route in the background (UX).
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If the phone starts to slow down after the memory expansion is turned on, try reducing the allocated volume or turning off the function completely. Not always "more" means "better."
On devices with slow internal memory (eMMC 5.1), activating a large amount of virtual RAM can, on the contrary, cause the interface to slow down.
The optimal ratio is when virtual memory is no more than 50% of the physical volume, exceeding this threshold rarely has a positive effect and only consumes the disk life.